County FMR · HUD FY2026

Mesa County Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for Mesa County, CO - 3% above the US average.

$986
1-bedroom FMR
$1,249
2-bedroom FMR
+2.6%
YoY change
+3%
vs US avg

The verdict

Mesa is the 32nd most expensive of 64 counties in Colorado by 2-bedroom FMR; nationally it ranks #881 most expensive of 3,145 HUD counties.

#881
most expensive of 3,145 US counties (2BR)
#32
most expensive of 64 in Colorado (2BR)
-15%
vs the state average
$39,440
income to afford it (30% rule)

Software Developers spend the smallest share of income on rent here (8.8%), while Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary spend the most (37.7%).

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rent for Mesa County, CO. Verify with HUD →

Mesa County, Colorado carries an FY 2026 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $986 per month, the federal benchmark HUD publishes for this county. A 2-bedroom costs $1,249/mo and a studio is $881/mo. That's 3% above the national benchmark of $959 and 15% below the Colorado average of $1,161.

Rent increased2.6% from FY 2025 ($961), outpacing inflation. Under the 30% rule, affordability starts near $39,440/year for a 1-bedroom.

Observed renter burden: 45.4% of the 18,146 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent benchmark above.

FY 2026 HUD Fair Market Rents in Colorado. Population: 156,131. Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.9%, Census ACS). That's in line with Colorado's statewide growth of +5.1% over the same period.

FMR filing desk

Area MESA·COUNTY·CO·CO

Mesa County, CO: $986/mo 1BR · #881 of 3145 counties (2BR) · FY2026

  • FMR-AREA CO
  • 1BR-FMR $986
  • 2BR-FMR $1,249
  • RANK-MID #881
  • YOY-UP +2.6%
  • VSUS-NEAR +3%
  • VS-ST-LOW -15% CO
  • INC-ROOM 17%
  • POP-MID 156K
  • PHOTO-NEAR El Paso County
  • VOUCH-90-110 $887–$1,085
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: El Paso ($478 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Fair Market Rents (2026)

Studio
State avg: $1,083 · US avg: $893
$881/mo
↑ 0.9% YoY -19% vs state -1% vs US
1 Bedroom
State avg: $1,161 · US avg: $959
$986/mo
↑ 2.6% YoY -15% vs state +3% vs US
2 Bedroom
State avg: $1,429 · US avg: $1,175
$1,249/mo
↑ 0.3% YoY -13% vs state +6% vs US
3 Bedroom
State avg: $1,861 · US avg: $1,525
$1,737/mo
↓ 0.5% YoY -7% vs state +14% vs US
4 Bedroom
State avg: $2,178 · US avg: $1,756
$2,095/mo
↑ 0.2% YoY -4% vs state +19% vs US

Year-over-Year Comparison

Bedrooms FY 2025 FY 2026 Change
Studio $873
$881
+$8 (+0.9%)
1 Bedroom $961
$986
+$25 (+2.6%)
2 Bedroom $1,245
$1,249
+$4 (+0.3%)
3 Bedroom $1,745
$1,737
$-8 (-0.5%)
4 Bedroom $2,091
$2,095
+$4 (+0.2%)

Rent Burden Analysis

How much of household income goes to rent in Mesa County. The 30% threshold indicates cost burden.

Studio
14.8%
Affordable
Need $35,240/yr for 30% rule
1 Bedroom
16.6%
Affordable
Need $39,440/yr for 30% rule
2 Bedroom
21%
Affordable
Need $49,960/yr for 30% rule
3 Bedroom
29.2%
Affordable
Need $69,480/yr for 30% rule
4 Bedroom
35.2%
Burdened
Need $83,800/yr for 30% rule
How we calculate this

Rent burden = (FMR × 12) ÷ county median household income. Required income = (FMR × 12) ÷ 0.3, the federal 30%-of-gross-income rule HUD uses to define cost burden. Median household income is from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey; FMR is from HUD's FY2026 release. See methodology.

0%100%National avg22%21%
Mesa County 2-bedroom rent burden
County median income: $71,485 · National avg burden: 21.7% ·View Colorado rent burden →

Where Mesa sits among every US county

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 3,145 HUD counties

$1,249 Top 28% higher than 72% of 3,145 counties

$600–$800: 23 counties (1%). Below this entry. $800–$1,000: 1,406 counties (45%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 723 counties (23%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 417 counties (13%). This entry sits in this band. $1,400–$1,600: 181 counties (6%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 172 counties (5%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 108 counties (3%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 29 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 40 counties (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 13 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 9 counties (0%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 15 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 3 counties (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 counties (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 counties (0%). Above this entry. This county $600 $4,400 every US county, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

How Mesa compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other Colorado counties

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Mesa is highlighted. Nearby Colorado counties by 1-bedroom FMR, highest to lowest: Denver County ($1,754), Arapahoe County ($1,754), Jefferson County ($1,754), Adams County ($1,754), Douglas County ($1,754), El Paso County ($1,464), Mesa County (this county) ($986).

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Can Common Jobs Afford Rent Here?

How a 1-bedroom at $986/mo compares to Colorado salaries for popular occupations (BLS wage data, 30%-of-income rule).

Occupation CO Salary Rent Burden Verdict
Software Developers $134,540 8.8% Affordable
General & Operations Managers $130,340 9.1% Affordable
Registered Nurses $96,520 12.3% Affordable
Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers $96,100 12.3% Affordable
Accountants & Auditors $90,030 13.1% Affordable
Paralegals & Legal Assistants $73,380 16.1% Affordable
Electricians $62,090 19.1% Affordable
Elementary School Teachers $61,550 19.2% Affordable
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $60,260 19.6% Affordable
Pharmacy Technicians $48,070 24.6% Affordable
Customer Service Representatives $46,020 25.7% Affordable
Janitors & Cleaners $37,270 31.7% Stretched
Retail Salespersons $36,960 32% Stretched
Fast Food & Counter Workers $35,440 33.4% Stretched
Teaching Assistants $31,390 37.7% Stretched
Salaries: BLS OES (Colorado) median · 30% = affordable threshold · Try the salary calculator →

Rent Trends (2020–2026)

7-year Fair Market Rent history for Mesa County. Shows how HUD rental rates have changed over time.

Over the 6-year span HUD has tracked for Mesa (FY 2020-2026), the 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent has risen 25.4% overall, from $786 to $986. The increases have been fairly steady year to year, with no single jump exceeding 11.1% (FY 2025).

$750$800$850$900$950$1,000 FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025FY2026 $986
Mesa County 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent, FY2020–FY2026
Year Studio 1 BR 2 BR
FY 2026 ↑2.6% $881 $986 $1,249
FY 2025 ↑11.1% $873 $961 $1,245
FY 2024 ↑6.5% $761 $865 $1,123
FY 2023 ↑4.0% $713 $812 $1,066
FY 2022 ↑1.2% $682 $781 $1,026
FY 2021 ↓1.8% $674 $772 $1,018
FY 2020 $713 $786 $1,035
Total change (6yr): +25.4%
Annualized: +3.9%/yr
1 BR: $786 → $986

Part of the Grand Junction, CO Metro Area

Mesa County is a central county of the Grand Junction, CO metropolitan statistical area.

Nationwide peers by 2BR FMR & rent burden

Two PlainRent-derived comparison paths for Mesa County, both outside Colorado so the link neighborhoods are not the same-state geography lattice above. Axes stay disjoint: burden peers exclude the FMR peer set.

Similar 2-bedroom FMR

Nearest HUD 2BR Fair Market Rents outside CO (FY2026).

Siskiyou County
CA · 2 BR $1,249/mo
Hardee County
FL · 2 BR $1,248/mo
King and Queen County
VA · 2 BR $1,250/mo
Cumberland County
NC · 2 BR $1,251/mo

Similar rent burden

Nearest 2BR FMR as a share of median household income (outside CO).

Menominee County
MI · 21% of income · 2 BR $973/mo
Montgomery County
AL · 21% of income · 2 BR $1,016/mo
Cumberland County
VA · 21% of income · 2 BR $997/mo
Etowah County
AL · 21% of income · 2 BR $927/mo

Nearby Counties in Colorado

Largest counties by population in Colorado

Showing the 8 largest of 63 other counties in Colorado.

El Paso County
1 BR: $1,464/mo Pop: 730,323
Denver County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 710,800
Arapahoe County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 654,453
Jefferson County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 580,519
Adams County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 520,149
Douglas County
1 BR: $1,754/mo Pop: 360,206
Larimer County
1 BR: $1,537/mo Pop: 359,363
Weld County
1 BR: $1,238/mo Pop: 331,466
View all counties in Colorado →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Mesa County? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Mesa County is $986 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,249 and a studio is $881.
How does Mesa County rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in Mesa County is 3% above the national average. A 1-bedroom here costs $986 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Mesa County rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
According to HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rent schedule, Mesa County's 2-bedroom FMR of $1,249 ranks #881 most expensive among 3,145 HUD counties, placing it in the middle half of HUD counties.
What income do I need to afford rent in Mesa County? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $39,440 ($3,287/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in Mesa County.
Is rent going up or down in Mesa County? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Mesa County increased by 2.6% from FY 2025 to FY 2026, going from $961 to $986.
Which jobs can afford rent in Mesa County? ▼
Based on Colorado BLS salary data and the 30% affordability rule, jobs like Software Developers, General and Operations Managers, Registered Nurses can afford a 1-bedroom at $986/mo. 11 of 15 common occupations are affordable here.
How much has rent changed in Mesa County over time? ▼
The 1-bedroom Fair Market Rent in Mesa County went from $786 in FY 2020 to $986 in FY 2026, a total change of +25.4% over 6 years.
How does Fair Market Rent affect Section 8 vouchers in Mesa County? ▼
In Mesa County, the FY 2026 FMR of $986/mo for a 1-bedroom sets the baseline that local housing authorities use for Section 8 payment standards.
What does Fair Market Rent mean for Mesa County? ▼
For Mesa County, it's the specific 40th-percentile rent HUD publishes each year ($986/mo for a 1-bedroom in FY 2026).

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and HUD Fair Market Rents. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county-level fair-market rent estimates by bedroom count. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr
  • HUD Income Limits - area median income for affordability calculations. huduser.gov/datasets/il
  • HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) - rent burden and housing-cost distribution. huduser.gov/datasets/cp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - county and metro housing characteristics + median rent. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Consumer Price Index, Rent of Primary Residence - rent inflation by metro. bls.gov/cpi
  • IRS Migration Data (SOI) - interstate migration aggregates affecting county demand. irs.gov/statistics/migration
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics - state-level median wages by occupation, used for job affordability analysis. bls.gov/oes

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.